T.G.I.F. usually stands for Thank God It’s Friday, but we also use it as Today God Is First. Everyday we strive to put God first in our lives, but we all face the challenge of becoming too busy and focused on putting the kids first. We use T.G.I.F. as a reminder that if we put God first we are also putting our kids first. When they witness us turning to God first in our days they are learning to do the same. When we put God first as a family we can accomplish so much more.
We have scheduled devotional time as a family, either early mornings or right before bed time. Sometime things happen after all we aren’t perfect people: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23 and we miss our devotional times or get caught up in what we think we HAVE to get done. That’s why T.G.I.F. is such an important reminder for us. No matter what we have going on we can always turn it around back to God.
As a couple we try to make sure on Fridays we take the time to do our own devotionals to refuel ourselves so we can better lead our family. After pouring so much into the kids all week long we can feel rather drained by the end of the week. Here’s a few of our favorite devotionals… We are a big fan of the YouVersion devotional plans because you can take them with you anywhere on your smart phone or tablet. We often find ourselves needing some encouragement during the day and it’s great to just be able to pull it up while your waiting to pick up or drop off the kids etc.
Women/Moms: Really love the CHOSEN devotional available on YouVersion – Check It Out Here
Men/Dads: Wonderful devotional that helps you in your day-to-day life to show your children what it truly means to be a role model and follower of Christ in every sense. Also available on YouVersion – Check It Out Here
Family/Kids: Courageous Kids devotional offered by YouVersion. This plan includes some kid-friendly videos of some Bible greats and takes us through their stories of courage while also exploring other verses and passages that challenge us to live with courage in our everyday walk with Christ. – Check It Out Here
God Is My Father devotional offered by YouVersion. Some kids know their earthly dad. Some don’t. But we can all get to know the best Dad…God, our heavenly Father! Read about God’s love, His promises, being adopted by Him, and how you can look like His kid! – Check It Out Here (This one was especially great for our family since we have adopted all of our kids. It’s perfect for anyone really because it reminds us we are all his children and where true fatherly love comes from.)
If you have some favorite Bible Devotional plans feel free to share them with us! Comment below or e-mail them to us via our contact page.